


Human, human after all

by cuneifire (orphan_account)



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Drabble Collection, Gen, Historical Hetalia
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-23
Updated: 2019-07-23
Packaged: 2020-07-11 19:40:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 674
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19933432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/cuneifire
Summary: “I don’t believe myself a God, but mortal men bore me.” He declares in an echoing voice, to a room of immortals. He goes on to be proven wrong, and to die.A series of drabbles, featuring countries and prominent people of their history.





	1. Philosophers

Philosophers are liars, Prussia knows. Frederick used to tell him the arts had value, but Frederick’s dead now. If one could tell the nature of the world solely by thinking about it, then surely they would’ve figured it out by now. 

The man across the table knows that. Delights in it, even.

“What are you working on?” He asks, casting a careful eye to Friedrich’s cane. The cane is battered with splinters, but the notebook is in prime conditions. Three minutes ago, Prussia had sat down at his table and looked on as he scribbled in his notebook, name proclaimed in miniature scribble on every page. The man hadn’t spared him a glance, nevermind a word. 

The man pauses his frantic writing, looking up only briefly before turning back to his words. Prussia thinks he’s not going to respond. “Philosophy.”

Prussia wants to scoff. “Many a minute do you have.” He’ll never understand why humans figure they have so much time to waste. They’re not him, after all. They don’t live forever.

Friedrich looks up. “I would take a sword if I could, but for now I must settle for the pen. God forbid their origins, but words that get around have as much influence as plagues.” He doesn't look up.

“You intend to infect the public?” 

“Only to reveal to them truths they already know.”

“Then why write them, if they are already known?”

“The most truthful facts are the easiest to deny.”

Prussia pulls his blade from his belt and inspects it, wondering if France would look better stabbed in the neck or the heart. 

“Such as?”

“Human nature is to dominate. That is what keeps up alive.” Friedrich Wilhelm Nietzsche says with no hesitation. 

Prussia looks down at the blade. 

“If only you knew.”


	2. Cowards

“From here on out you are no longer a coward.” De Gaulle is not quite the man France expected to supposedly save him, but he supposes he will take what he can get. 

“I never was.” Is what France says in return. 

“You were not in the same state of mind half an hour ago.” The General says, which is funny, because France can’t recall what he did thirty minutes ago that was so dearly offensive. Can’t recall what he did, period. He can recall coming to being heavily restrained. So perhaps there’s that. 

“You are not France.” De Gaulle says, matter-of-factly. 

“I lived through more for this country than you can even fathom.” He says, although the country they are in is England and the beverage of choice is disgustingly sugarless tea as opposed to coffee.

De Gaulle gives him an impatient look. 

“But you are not that country anymore. Not entirely. You have been split in two, spoiled. Part of you is cowardly.” 

France takes a minute, then nods. He thinks about how half an hour he wouldn’t have minded taking Germany to bed, and then how currently the thought makes him swallow back bile. 

He nods. “I understand. And you intend to…?”

“Fix that.” He says. France looks apprehensively. 

“How so?” He says, because so far the situation holds no answer: his country occupied, England besieged, Russia unengaged and America neutral and Germany a wrench as always. 

He should have been stronger. More prepared. He should’ve had people that fought harder. Or maybe it wasn’t his people, after all. Maybe it was him. 

“Well, first we need to tell the people it is not the war that has been lost, but the battle.”  _ The battle,  _ right. 

“I’ll see to it a speech gets drafted. Perhaps England…” He trails off, wondering if England would even take his manacles off, nevermind let him organize a speech on one of his radio networks. 

De Gaulle meets his eyes, calculating. France has seen that look before. It’s the same one in England’s eyes. It’s the look of a man prepared for war.

“I will arrange so that we can broadcast tonight,” he says, and De Gaulle nods. 

They still don’t take the manacles off, but France is grateful. 

**Author's Note:**

> Nietzsche, as in the German philosopher who lived from 1844-1900. He believed in the strength of the will and superhumans. Frankly, I got bored halfway through _Beyond Good and Evil_ , so, uh, I'm no pro. 
> 
> Frederick being, of course, Frederick the Great, 1712-1786, militant ruler of Prussia and all-around badass.


End file.
